The Ageing and Health session of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2019 was held on March 27. 

Such topics as tackling the challenges of ageing society, establishing a health system with universal coverage, and building an age-friendly environment were discussed at the session.

Dr. Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, Emeritus Director-General of World Health Organization and President of Global Health Forum of Boao Forum for Asia, said that healthy life is a major part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and that the right to health should be enjoyed by people of all ages, especially the elderly. 

It is predicted that the global ageing will worsen in the future, which requires the government to combine the universal health coverage with demands from the elderly, in order to effectively control chronic diseases common among the elderly. She also emphasized that some easy accesses to infrastructure should be provided for the elderly, facilitating their daily life in an all-round way.

Lam Ching-choi, Member of the Executive Council of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Chairman of the Elderly Commission, made the remarks that the elderly is in need of preventive plans in nursing care that may help leave out the course of recovery from illness. 

It is a necessity to replace the current medical model with a superior nursing care system and a primary healthcare system. 

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is building a one-stop community-based healthcare service center, with an aim to improve the framework for healthy ageing. 

In the near future, Hong Kong will also serve as a technological innovation center for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, contributing to the Greater Bay Area in the health service system for the elderly.

Vivian Lin, Executive Associate Dean at Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, indicated in her speech that the universal health coverage needs integrating social development with health service, with the "people-centered" concept as the underlying principle. 

In order to achieve the goal of universal health, medical institutions should team up with communities, and mobilize non-governmental organizations to help improve the health literacy of the public. 

She also pointed out that a series of technological changes, including AI, would be a key to realizing the universal health system. 

Some other distinguished guests and nearly 100 practitioners from all over the world in the field of medical health attended the Ageing and Health session, including Haruhiko Hirate, Takeda's Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Officer, Y.IP Nancy, Vice-President for Research and Development of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Leif Johansson, Chairman of the Board, AstraZeneca.